Music Matters: Mozart’s Requiem, a masterpiece by committee

Saturday

Mar 22, 2008 at 12:01 AMMar 22, 2008 at 10:02 PM

The story of Mozart’s "Requiem" was a mystery, but most of it is now solved. It’s a different dramatic tale than the one depicted by Peter Shaffer, but there’s drama nonetheless. Like many great stories, the themes of family and desperation are at the heart of it.

Steven Karidoyanes

“Did Mozart really compose the "Requiem" on his deathbed, dictating each heart-panged note to his archrival, the evil Salieri? It’s got to be true! I saw it in the movies! Right?”

Ah, the magic of Hollywood. That’s a great and memorable scene from the 1984 film "Amadeus," the movie based on Peter Shaffer’s London and Broadway stage hit. It brings the era and the moment to life in a dramatic and exciting way.

It’s wonderful fiction and not the way it happened at all.

The story of Mozart’s "Requiem" was a mystery, but most of it is now solved. It’s a different dramatic tale than the one depicted by Peter Shaffer, but there’s drama nonetheless. Like many great stories, the themes of family and desperation are at the heart of it.

When Mozart died December 5, 1791, he left the "Requiem" unfinished. He also left his wife, Constanze, and their children destitute. Desperate for cash, Constanze began to take stock of what music her husband had composed and what she could parley into much-needed money.

Since the "Requiem" was a commission, with some money already paid in advance, the balance of the money would only be paid to her in exchange for the completed piece. Constanze had to find a composer to complete the music and pass it off as the completed work of her late husband.

One composer, Joseph Eybler (1765-1846), attempted the assignment and orchestrated several sections. He soon found the project took too much of his time and returned the score to Constanze. She approached several other musicians with little success until she eventually turned to Franz Süssmayr (1766-1803) who finally committed to the task.

So how much of is by Mozart and how much by Süssmayr?

When planning his composition, Mozart first wrote a particella, or a condensed draft, of the "Requiem." From this draft and completed manuscripts, scholars could discern what sections Mozart composed fully, what he partially composed, and what sections he had not yet planned.

It is clear Süssmayr fully composed the Sanctus and Benedictus sections himself. He also completed the Lacrymosa portion and, following the practice of the time, composed the closing Agnus Dei based on Mozart’s own music from the opening. It’s also more than probable Süssmayr’s orchestration of the work includes the parts orchestrated by Joseph Eybler when Constanze first tried to farm out the job to him.

And there you have it. A masterpiece by committee! But it doesn’t stop there.

Because, over the years, Süssmayr’s reputation has been relegated to that of an inferior composer, there have been many attempts to reconstruct Mozart’s "Requiem," removing every hint of Süssmayr’s work and composing something entirely different.

The end results are always interesting but, in my view, not any more legitimate than the first completed version.

I find vindication in how I feel about this from within one of these notable reconstruction efforts.

In the appendix of Richard Maunder’s version of the Mozart "Requiem," he includes Süssmayr’s Sanctus and Benedictus, saying, “for all their shortcomings, they are pieces by a late eighteenth-century composer written specifically for inclusion in Mozart’s 'Requiem.'”

I say it this way: If you’re going to perform Mozart’s "Requiem," accept the whole history of the piece, and that history includes Constanze Mozart, Joseph Eyblker and Franz Süssmayr.

Incidentally, there’s one dominant sentiment in the movie "Amadeus" with which I do agree. Without question, Mozart was a bona fide marvel.

Steven Karidoyanes is the conductor of the Plymouth (Mass.) Philharmonic Orchestra, Masterworks Chorale, and the New England Conservatory Youth Symphony. Submit your questions regarding music or ideas for this column to MusicMatters.PlymouthPhil@gmail.com

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